Joy held out placating hands. “Paisley, that was a suggestion. I thought your dad would get home earlier. You can do it with him tomorrow.”

“Do what?” Isaac put a calming hand on his daughter’s head. It was already past her bedtime.

“Decorate the tree. I thought you should do that with her.”

Why did she have to be so thoughtful? “I appreciate that.” He cleared his throat. His voice had come out embarrassingly hoarse. “You’ll stay and help us, right?”

Her eyes slowly widened, and he wanted to kick himself. She was here as a babysitter. Like Mrs. Randall. He wouldn’t ask Mrs. Randall to stay for what was usually a father-daughter activity. What business did he have asking Joy?

He opened his mouth to tactfully retract his words and save Joy from the awkwardness of a refusal when Paisley darted away from him, straight at Joy. Joy barely opened her arms in time to catch her with a hug.

“Oh, please, Joy? Please? Stay!”

Isaac shook his head over Paisley’s bobbing form and mouthed the words, You don’t have to. Joy’s eyes went to the digital clock on the bookshelf. 8:30. No doubt she had other things to do. Lots of things.

“Okay, hun, I’ll stay.” She gave Paisley another hug. The sight of her sitting with arms wrapped around his daughter was almost too much for Isaac.

“Let’s get to it.” He flicked on the overhead light in the room and grabbed the strand of white lights. Joy had even unraveled the fantastic tangle he’d left last year. “I’ll start with the lights, and you two come behind me with the ornaments.”

“Wait!” Joy tapped her phone. “We need music.”

“Ambence,” Paisley said sagely.

“Yes, Paisley.” Joy tweaked her nose, a big smile on her face. “We need ambiance.”

A baritone voice flooded from Joy’s phone singing “Winter Wonderland.” Isaac tried to reach around the tree with the lights but couldn’t quite connect his hands. Joy sprang forward to grasp the dangling strand on the other side. When their hands touched, he ignored the instant electricity that coursed up his arm.

“Ambiance,” he repeated, shaking his head. “What are you doing? Trying to give my daughter a bigger vocabulary than me?”

“Maybe.” She flashed him a wicked smile, and it nearly rooted him to the floor. He knew her serious side from the counseling chair. He had also caught glimpses of sarcastic humor similar to her sister’s. But this playfulness was altogether new for him. He liked it, just like the rest of her.

As the carols filled the air and the tree twinkled with lights, they added one ornament at a time. It felt truly magical. Isaac couldn’t remember enjoying decorating the Christmas tree this much since he was a very young boy. And it was all because of Joy.

He lifted Paisley in his arms so she could add the angel to the top. “I think that does it.” The clock read 9:15. Ouch. Getting her up in the morning wouldn’t be fun. “Straight to bed, cupcake.”

“I brush teeth.” She took off, and he was about to follow when Joy spoke.

“Isaac, she’s a doll. Seriously. I don’t know what you were worried about.”

As he looked at Joy, the light of the Christmas tree glowing behind her in a way that gave her an angelic halo, he didn’t know either.

“Uh oh. Toothpaste!” Paisley’s voice wailed from the bathroom, and Isaac groaned. Not again.

“Can you hang out here for a few minutes? It doesn’t take long to put her to bed.”

She looked uncertain as she cracked her knuckles together. “Yeah? I guess so… I’ll try to call Victor.”

He loved that he knew so much about her. He hated the reason why. “Okay.”

Paisley was hyper, and it took longer than normal before she settled down and closed her eyes.

“Dad?”

He backed into her room. Calling out to him after he’d left was becoming a habit. “Yes?”

“I really really really really—really—like Joy.”

So did he.